Cultural Info

As in many places in Florida, Native Americans were Sarasota's first inhabitants. Evidence of prehistoric mounds and middens pepper the coastline and keys.

Treasure-seeking explorers and conquistadors were the first Europeans to venture into the area, including Hernando de Soto - and legend has it Sarasota was named after his daughter Sara.

In 1843, a young adventurer named William Whittaker settled in the Sarasota area, and gradually the area was built up by hardy colonists, including a ship of settlers from Scotland. Among these was a man named John Hamilton Gillespie - who later introduced golf to Sarasota, building Florida's first golf course.

An influx of wealthy socialites settled the area starting in 1910, setting the tone for Sarasota as a winter location for the cultured crowd which continues year-round to this day. In fact, the performing and visual arts in Sarasota had been established before most Florida cities even had post offices.

During a real estate boom in the '20s, circus magnate John Ringling and his wife Mable constructed their magnificent winter residence "Ca'd'Zan" ("House of John"), and a museum to house their extensive art collection. The mansion, modeled after the Dode's Palace in Venice reflects Ringling's interest in Italian Art & Architecture and the museum has one of the largest Baroque collections in the world. Ringling also made Sarasota the winter headquarters of his world-renowned Ringling Brothers Barnum & Baily Circus

Since 1987 the sand on Siesta Key's beach has been judged as among the whitest and most powdery in the world in the "Great International White Sand Contest." There is a public beach in the center of the key with lifeguards, volleyball nets, tennis courts, a playground and shady spots for picnics. A few miles to the south, Crescent Beach holds fascination for snorkelers.

Besides the very natural beaches that are a popular part of Sarasota's charm, many less well known ecotourism choices await you in this interesting part of Florida. Just a stroll along the shore can be an ecotour, as the gentle surf is constantly depositing prehistoric shark's teeth and marine fossils upon the beaches.